Øystein Sevåg

by Jason Ankeny New Age composer and keyboardist Øystein Sevåg was born in Norway in 1957, beginning piano lessons at age five. As a teen he played bass in a rock band but returned to his classical roots in time to study piano, flute and composition at the Music Conservatory of Oslo; by the 1980s, however, Sevåg had become fascinated by the possibilities offered by the development of the synthesizer, and he plunged into electronic music with his self-released 1989 debut LP Close Your Eyes and See. The product of five years in the studio, the album slowly crept into Billboard's New Age charts, and it landed Sevåg on the Windham Hill label to issue the follow-up, 1993's Link. He returned two years later with Global House, a record reflecting a newfound interest in acoustic sounds and worldbeat textures; Visual, a collaboration with guitarist Lakki Patey, followed in 1996. Signing to the Hearts of Space label, Sevåg resurfaced in 1997 with the acclaimed Bridge.